Pakistan 2011 hosting fees at risk

The ICC says Pakistan will not be paid around $10 million of hosting fees if the country does not provide alternative venues for the 2011 World Cup.

Written by Press Trust of India

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Islamabad:

The International Cricket Council says Pakistan will not be paid around $10 million of hosting fees if the country does not provide alternative venues for the 2011 World Cup.

The ICC last month ruled out Pakistan as a location on security grounds, but kept the PCB as joint host for the event with India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

That meant the PCB could receive the hosting fees if it holds its scheduled 14 World Cup matches in another location _ most likely the United Arab Emirates.

Pakistan will receive hosting fees for the 2009 Champions Trophy even though that tournament had been moved to South Africa on security grounds, but the ICC said Friday there would be no such arrangement with the World Cup if the PCB is not involved in the event.

"Hosting fees are only paid for hosting matches," an ICC spokesman told the Associated Press in an e-mail on Friday.

While the PCB has floated the idea of Dubai and Abu Dhabi hosting the 14 matches, it had so far not provided alternate venues to the ICC and instead started a legal battle with the ICC over Pakistan's removal as host.

ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat asked the organizers of the World Cup on Feb. 17 in New Delhi to consider alternate venues within their countries "as well as alternate country venues if things are not favorable in one of the particular host countries."

Meanwhile, the ICC has rejected PCB claims that the stripping of 2011 hosting rights was illegitimate because it was not on the agenda of the board meeting in Dubai last month.

"The issue of Pakistan's removal as a host location was on the ICC Board's agenda and in the board papers (and the) board has the power to make such decisions," Lorgat said.

The ICC says the PCB has not taken up an offer by the ICC to form a task force to help keep cricket on its feet in Pakistan during what looks set to be a lengthy isolation from hosting international cricket.

"That offer was made at the ICC board meeting in Perth in Jan.-Feb. but, to date, there has been no response from the PCB," the spokesman said.

Pakistan's removal as a 2011 host was prompted by a militant attack on the Sri Lanka team and its security detail while traveling to a test in Lahore in March.